20 yr old Athena Curry has been missing since May 27, 2011.  Her boyfriend “claims” they got into an argument and she stormed off in the middle of the night leaving behind a 16-month old son.  If you have any information, please contact the Atlanta Police Department.

Black and Missing but Not Forgotten

Have you seen me before? Do you know who I am?

Male found on 1/23/07 (BROOKLYN, NY), unconsious with bloody vomit, in basement of a grocery store by owner. Taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where doctors recognized him but did not know his name. Was kept on a ventilator throughout the night but coded the following day.

He’s thought to be between the ages of 35 and 50. 4 years later and the case is still cold.

I’m a big supporter of people taking action.  The recent Occupy Wall Street protests taking place all over the country puts a little smile on my face.  FINALLY people not just talking and finally doing something.  Will I be at a Occupy Wall Street protest?  Probably not.  As a woman of color, I feel no real personal connection or benefit from these protests.  I have no real faith that if we really DID occupy Wall Street, it would address any of the issues I face.  This brings me to Occupy the Hood.  A movement in solidarity with OWS, to get more people of color involved with these protests to address the issues of their communities.

It warms my heart to see my home city, Boston, and a friend behind the push for Occupy the Hood Boston.  On October 21, 2011 Occcupy Wall Street met Occupy the Hood Boston.  Read on:

The Movement is in Effect.

Occupy The Hood Boston was born on the cusp of 2 very significant events in Black History, the 45^th Anniversary of the Black Panther Party Oct. 15, 1966 & The Million Man March Oct. 16, 1995.  In recognition of the lack of a specific voice to speak to issues of Black, Latino, Cape Verdean and other people of Color in Boston and Beyond. People of color, particularly Black People, are disproportionately affected by the issues that the Occupy Movement has raised. It has been said that “Black People are on the bottom of every list that is good, and on the top of every list that is bad” Occupy The Hood Boston seeks to not only address those issues but present solutions to our collective problems and effect changes in policy that will improve the quality of life for all people.  Occupy The Hood Boston is sticking with the methods of organization that have been going on prior to Occupy Boston in the realization that different people respond differently and we must craft a movement that uniquely speaks to the issues of People of Color.

We stand in Unity & Agreement with the statement of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement on New Afrikans & Occupy Wall St.

http://blackstonian.com/news/2011/10/malcolm-x-grassroots-mvmt-new-afrikans-occupy-wall-street/

Furthermore, to address the lack of diversity at Occupy Boston WE CALL FOR OCCUPY BOSTON TO ESTABLISH A DAY TO BE SET ASIDE FOR ISSUES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR. THIS DAY WILL INCLUDE TIME FOR VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS OF COLOR TO SPEAK ABOUT THEIR ISSUES.

Occupy The Hood – Boston’s First Action will take place:

FRI 10.21.2011 6PM
COMMUNITY SPEAK OUT/RALLY
Dudley Sq. on the Dudley Plaza
(Triangle between Malcolm X Blvd./Washington St./Dudley St. across from new Roxbury Boston Police Station)
http://g.co/maps/bwkvs

This Speak Out will highlight the issues in our community and have speakers from various neighborhoods and community organizations with members of Occupy Boston as SUPPORT.

Future Actions will take place at additional dates and locations throughout our community.

WEB: www.blackstonian.com/occupythehood
EMAIL: occupythehoodboston@gmail.com
PHONE: 617-297-7721
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/OTHBoston
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-the-Hood-Boston/305839166097237
GOOGLE GROUP / MAILING LIST: http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-the-hood-boston| occupy-the-hood-boston@googlegroups.com
HASHTAGS / @S: #occupythehoodboston | #OTHB |#blackupyboston | #blackstonian | @OccupyTheHood |#occupythehood | #POCcupy | @POCworkinggroup

OCCUPY THE HOOD – BOSTON

GOAL:
To bring crowds from Occupy Boston to the Black/Latino/Cape Verdean Communities of Boston.

PURPOSE:
A. To highlight and bring energy, momentum and attention of Occupy Boston to the issues of People of Color  in Boston & beyond
B. To show what is rarely seen. That White People give a damn about the plight of Black and other people of color who are the most affected by the conditions that Occupy Boston is in protest of.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED:
Economic injustice, unemployment, CORI, violence/murders, guns, prisons, police brutality, foreclosures, lack of diversity in city gov., youth jobs, education disparities, racial profiling, redistricting, budget cuts, housing, human services, civic engagement, racism/discrimination/white supremacy/white privilege

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. White people and other members of Occupy Boston will enter the community as SUPPORT ONLY.
2. OB’ers will be under the direction and agenda of People/Organizers of Color.
3. The current Occupy Boston format, (GA, hand gestures, etc.), Will NOT be used in the community.
4. Obviously do not bring any drugs, alcohol, weapons into the community.
5. While nothing is expected to happen. Your safety is not guaranteed. You must be willing to sacrifice and experience what thousands of People of Color (from infants to elderly) live in every day.
6. This is a movement of the willing. If any of this makes you hesitant or uncomfortable. Do not come.

BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED

OCCUPY THE HOOD – BOSTON    |     BLACK-UPY BOSTON

UNEMPLOYMENT

Current Massachusetts Unemployment: 7.4% = 258,112 unemployed people

Massachusetts Unemployment 2007
White = 5.2%   Black = 11.2%  Latino = 11.2%
Boston Unemployment 2007
White = 4.6%   Black = 14.6%  Latino = 12.9%

USA Unemployment = 9.1%
Black Unemployment = 16.2 %
Black males = 17.5%  Black teens almost 41%

BLACK PEOPLE & BUSINESS LOANS

1993 and 1998 National Surveys of Small Business find that Black-owned small businesses are about twice as likely to be denied credit. Black-owned firms, in particular, are substantially more likely to be denied credit than other groups and are charged higher interest rates for those loans that are approved among firms that are otherwise comparable.

BLACK PEOPLE & MORTGAGES

Subprime mortgages have gone disproportionately to Hispanics and African Americans. In 2006, the rate of subprime mortgages for home purchase for Hispanics and Africans Americans was approximately double the white rate according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Twenty-six percent of mortgages for home purchase by whites were subprime (see Chart). For Hispanics, it was 47% and for African Americans, 53%.1

BANK OF AMERICA AND SLAVERY

Bank of America was one of the companies who profited from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and named in the Reparations lawsuit.

BOSTON POLICE & PEOPLE OF COLOR

BPD Killed 5 people in 1988 alone. 4 out of 5 were Black
BPD Killed 6 Between 1995 and Nov. 2000
BPD Killed 8 Between Nov. 2000 and Sep 2002
BPD Killed 2 Between June 2004 and July 2004
BPD Killed 4 from 2005 to present
These people were Black, Latino & Cape Verdean

VIOLENCE/MURDER/GUNS

51 Murders in Boston so far in 2011. The majority of those are in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan
Where did the Gun Come From?              www.wheredidtheguncomefrom.com

PRISON$

A Black man has 1 in 3 (32%) chance of imprisonment
A Latino man 1 in 6 (17%) chance of imprisonment
A White man has 1 in 17 (5.9%) chance of imprisonment
It costs between $35-50,000 annually (varies state/federal) to incarcerate

2 Biggest Privatized Prison Corporations
1. Corrections Corp. of America (CCA) earned $42.4 million in profit over the last 3 months
2. GEO Group (previously known as Wackenhut Corrections) earned $21.6 million over the past 3 months

13^TH AMENDMENT ABOLISHES SLAVERY, EXCEPT AS PUNISHMENT FOR A CRIME

Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

“NEITHER SLAVERY NOR INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE, EXCEPT AS A PUNISHMENT FOR CRIME WHEREOF THE PARTY SHALL HAVE BEEN DULY CONVICTED, SHALL EXIST WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, OR ANY PLACE SUBJECT TO THEIR JURISDICTION.”

WEB: www.blackstonian.com/occupythehood
EMAIL: occupythehoodboston@gmail.com
PHONE: 617-297-7721
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/OTHBoston
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-the-Hood-Boston/305839166097237
GOOGLE GROUP / MAILING LIST: http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-the-hood-boston| occupy-the-hood-boston@googlegroups.com
HASHTAGS / @S: #occupythehoodboston | #OTHB| #blackupyboston | #blackstonian | @OccupyTheHood| #occupythehood|